Old Books Bring Proper Perspective

For the past several years, I’ve been reading some of the classics that I missed out on (or forgot about) in my youth. Those have included works such as Anna Karenina, Middlemarch, A Tale of Two Cities, and many others. One of the most important things it’s done for me, aside from helping me improve my attention span, is give me a bit more perspective on the current state of things. That perspective enables me to have a more hopeful, optimistic outlook on life that many currently seem incapable of.

Most of the works I’ve challenged myself to read in recent years were written long ago and are set in far-away places. Nonetheless, the personal struggles, relationship issues, political situations, and significant life events are quite similar to those of today. It’s almost as if “the more people change, the more they stay the same”.

Rather than frustrate me, that sentiment brings me a bit of consolation and encouragement. We aren’t actually facing “unprecedented uncertainty” or “unparalleled human suffering”. People in the past often faced much greater uncertainty and suffering than most of us will experience today. In many cases, they did so with a determination, grit, and courage that is foreign in our society of hesitation, safetyism, and risk-aversion.

There’s currently a considerable portion of the population who live in a state of constant fear and anxiety about the situation of the country and world. They allow fear of the future to dictate the decisions for themselves and their children (if fear hasn’t stopped them from starting a family). I attribute this, at least in part, to the disconnect between the present and the past. A disconnect that can be mended somewhat by reading old books.

If all anyone reads, hears, or knows about are current events, they will likely feel overwhelmed and hopeless, especially if political news is the primary focus. But when current events are viewed in the context of the universal human experience, their weight tends to be more bearable. Rather than being paralyzed by despair, there is an unquenchable desire to strive to make things better.

Of course, not all of the classic books I’ve read (or have on my list to be read) have happy endings. That’s an important lesson to learn as well. Since the beginning of time, life has had its ups and downs for every human who has ever lived. Reading about lost loves, lonely childhoods, broken relationships, and bad decisions that led to negative, life-altering consequences is a reminder that we aren’t alone when we experience those same things. It may not soften the blow in the moment, but it helps to know others have felt the same blow.

Of course, school should be one place where young people encounter stories that teach, inspire, and propel them to go out and make our imperfect world a little better. Instead, schools seem to be contributing to hopelessness by focusing on the negatives in the “here and now.” Rather than expose students to works like The Odyssey that so beautifully tell of the sometimes difficult but timeless and universal human experience, they often highlight only present (and depressing) circumstances and ignite, or add fuel to the fire of fear and anxiety.

So, if you—or someone you know—find yourself ruminating on negative current events, obsessively worrying about the future, or experiencing overwhelming feelings of hopelessness and despair, I recommend picking up an old book. Even if it isn’t one with a fairy-tale happy ending, it will provide proper historical perspective that things have been worse, often things get better, and we are not the first (and we won’t be the last) society to ever experience conflict, turmoil, and struggle.